New This Week: 3 Incredibly Creative Features for Kids
Slide, skate and pretend with these child-friendly additions
We all know about kid-friendly features like outdoor fabrics on indoor furniture to deal with stains. But if you really want your home to be kid-friendly, try looking to an outdoor park, not furniture, for inspiration.
“Uh-oh” moment: “We had underestimated the visual scale of the slide itself,” Brown says. “When the framing was completed, the shaft opening was cut and it did not look too menacing. Once the slide arrived and was placed, it was a beast. It took a few visits for me to get used to the hulking structure. Now it just blends right in.”
Also on the team: Matt Oliver of Oliver Custom Homes; Casey Fry of C. L. Fry Photo
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See more incredible indoor slides
Also on the team: Matt Oliver of Oliver Custom Homes; Casey Fry of C. L. Fry Photo
See more of this home
See more incredible indoor slides
2. Basement Skate Park
Designer: Jenny Neilson of Just Basements
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Size: 487 square feet (45.2 square meters); 29½ by 16½ feet (8.9 by 5 meters)
Homeowners’ request: A scooter and skate park for a dad and his two young boys that can be enjoyed even during Canadian winters.
Playtime: The homeowner’s didn’t want the area to be too “finished,” because it will inevitably get banged up. Designer Jenny Neilson added a sealant to the existing concrete floor to help keep dust down. She painted the exposed ceiling pale gray, added plywood to the walls and introduced industrial touches with the caged lighting and caged windows.
The boxes in the center of the space have carved-out handles so the kids can move them around and customize their tricks. The large ramps on the side walls are fixed in place. The homeowners can even hook up a slackline that runs 32 feet across the skate park and adjacent fitness room.
Designer: Jenny Neilson of Just Basements
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Size: 487 square feet (45.2 square meters); 29½ by 16½ feet (8.9 by 5 meters)
Homeowners’ request: A scooter and skate park for a dad and his two young boys that can be enjoyed even during Canadian winters.
Playtime: The homeowner’s didn’t want the area to be too “finished,” because it will inevitably get banged up. Designer Jenny Neilson added a sealant to the existing concrete floor to help keep dust down. She painted the exposed ceiling pale gray, added plywood to the walls and introduced industrial touches with the caged lighting and caged windows.
The boxes in the center of the space have carved-out handles so the kids can move them around and customize their tricks. The large ramps on the side walls are fixed in place. The homeowners can even hook up a slackline that runs 32 feet across the skate park and adjacent fitness room.
Other special features: Neilson painted the existing steel beam black to coordinate with black hardware on the storage closet and windows. “Even the screws holding the plywood in place are black,” Neilson says. She also had the cage lights painted black.
Designer secret: “There is something to be said about designing a space that is purely meant for fun,” Neilson says. “It frees up so many of the boundaries we face in our usual design adventures. How often do you get to do graffiti on the walls of someone’s house?”
“Uh-oh” moment: After a few failed attempts at securing someone to do the graffiti work, Neilson put on a mask, grabbed some paint cans and gave it a shot. “The graffiti highlights this family’s love for the sport, adds brightness to the space and is so much fun,” she says.
Also on the team: JVL Photography; TW Ramps
Cage lights: Home Depot; window cages: Custom Welding; ceiling paint: Worldly Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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Designer secret: “There is something to be said about designing a space that is purely meant for fun,” Neilson says. “It frees up so many of the boundaries we face in our usual design adventures. How often do you get to do graffiti on the walls of someone’s house?”
“Uh-oh” moment: After a few failed attempts at securing someone to do the graffiti work, Neilson put on a mask, grabbed some paint cans and gave it a shot. “The graffiti highlights this family’s love for the sport, adds brightness to the space and is so much fun,” she says.
Also on the team: JVL Photography; TW Ramps
Cage lights: Home Depot; window cages: Custom Welding; ceiling paint: Worldly Gray, Sherwin-Williams
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3. Under-the-Stairs Playhouse
Designer: Tom Chute of Marre Design Group
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Homeowners’ request: A new home with kid-friendly features for nearby grandkids to enjoy.
Playtime: An under-the-stairs playhouse gives the homeowners’ grandkids a place to let their imaginations run wild. “It’s reminiscent of a cute little home with a white picket fence,” architect Tom Chute says. There’s toy storage inside, and a small door hidden around the corner allows the grandparents to access the playspace to vacuum more easily.
Other special features: Low-voltage LED lighting keeps head space clear and doesn’t get hot — no burn if one of the children touches a light.
Designer: Tom Chute of Marre Design Group
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Homeowners’ request: A new home with kid-friendly features for nearby grandkids to enjoy.
Playtime: An under-the-stairs playhouse gives the homeowners’ grandkids a place to let their imaginations run wild. “It’s reminiscent of a cute little home with a white picket fence,” architect Tom Chute says. There’s toy storage inside, and a small door hidden around the corner allows the grandparents to access the playspace to vacuum more easily.
Other special features: Low-voltage LED lighting keeps head space clear and doesn’t get hot — no burn if one of the children touches a light.
Why the design works: “People tend to feel more comfortable in a space that is proportionate and to human scale. That’s why a large auditorium with only a 10-foot ceiling can feel crushing to be in, while a small living room with an overly vaulted ceiling can sometimes feel like living in a grain elevator. The proportions of the room need to be right to have a truly comfortable feeling. With kids, for their size of human scale, the spaces can be much smaller to give them that same sense of comfort. It makes them want to be there; they almost seem to be drawn to spaces like this. The charm of the actual finishing in this design just adds to their imagination and fun.”
Designer secret: “The addition of the flower box below the faux window really makes this detail pop,” Chute says. “The simple splash of color really brings the kids’ fort to life. As a final touch, the small section of picket fence makes the kids feel like the rec room area in front is like the front yard of their little hideaway, and invites playing both inside and out.”
Also on the team: Jason Manna of Van Manna Homes (home builder); Louise Middleton (interior design); Philippe Clairo of philippePhotography
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Designer secret: “The addition of the flower box below the faux window really makes this detail pop,” Chute says. “The simple splash of color really brings the kids’ fort to life. As a final touch, the small section of picket fence makes the kids feel like the rec room area in front is like the front yard of their little hideaway, and invites playing both inside and out.”
Also on the team: Jason Manna of Van Manna Homes (home builder); Louise Middleton (interior design); Philippe Clairo of philippePhotography
See more of this home
Designer: Tim Brown
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 264 square feet (24.5 meters); 22 by 12 feet (6.7 by 3.6)
Homeowners’ request: A multipurpose room for laundry, entry drop zone, home office, sporting gear storage.
Playtime: A slide gives the homeowners and their three kids a fun way to access the mudroom exit and laundry area. The slide also acts as a laundry chute. “We looked high and low for a company that would make a steel slide,” architect Tim Brown says. “We found this company that makes oversized slides for firehouses big enough for a grown adult to use. The kids have mastered the talent of walking up the slide barefoot with a snack in their hands. It’s pretty impressive. Note: The slide is not intended for dogs — even though it’s tempting.”